Swinging door latch



Nov. 13, 1962 E. J. MORIARTY 3,063,745

SWINGING DOOR LATCH I Filed July 16, 1962 INVENTOR EUGENE J. MORI ARTY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofilice 3,063,745 Patented Nov. 13, 1952 3,063,745 SWINGENG BGGR LATCH Eugene J. Moriarty, Kenosha, Win, assignor to Moriarty Manufacturing Company, Kenosha, Win, a corporation of Wisconsin Substituted for abandoned applieation Ser. No. 50,503,

Aug. 18, 1960. This application duty 16, 1962, Ser.

2 Claims. (Cl. 292-244) This invention appertains to door latches of the general type shown in the Moriarty Patent No. 1,541,992, issued June 16, 1925, and more particularly to a novel reversible door latch for effective use on both right and left hand opening doors.

In door latches, and particularly barn door latches, it is preferable that the latch bar move upwardly to its latched engagement with the keeper, instead of downwardly. Hence a spring is utilized for normally urging the latch bar to a raised position. In reversing the position of the latch for a right or left hand door, difficulty is encountered with the operation and resetting of the spring.

One of the primary objects of my present invention is to provide a novel spring arrangement, whereby the spring is hidden and protected by latch parts and whereby the spring is carried for turning movement, so that the position thereof can be quickly and easily reversed for reversing action of the latch bar for either right or left hand doors at the time of the installation thereof.

A further important object of my invention is to provide a door latch in which all parts thereof are assembled with the exception of the inside handle and its shaft, whereby to eliminate the necessity of the purchaser assembling and joining the parts and the likeli hood of error on the part of the purchaser during assembly.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a door latch of the above character, which will be exceptionally durable and efiicient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a door and its frame with my improved latch assembled thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view through the latch taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, the view illustrating more particularly the novel form and positioning of the reversible spring, and

FIGURE 4 is a detail transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the inside handle and its operating shaft.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter L generally indicates my improved latch for a door D, mounted for swinging movement in a door frame F.

The latch L includes a mounting plate 5 having formed on one end thereof a laterally and outwardly extending guide lip 6. The lip is provided with a guide slot 7 through which protrudes for sliding movement a fiat latch bar 8. The mounting plate 5 adjacent to its opposite inner end is provided with a struck out U-shaped body portion 9 and the inner end of the latch bar 8 extends over this body portion 9 and the body portion functions to slightly space the latch bar 8 from the door D and the major part of the mounting plate 5. The U-shaped body portion is provided with a circular bearing opening 10. The mounting plate 5 can be secured to a door at its proper position by screws or the like 11.

The latch bar 8 intermediate its ends is provided with i an outwardly extending U-shaped manipulating hand grip 12. Spanning the U-shaped hand grip 12 on the inside of the latch bar 8 is a thin bridge plate 13. The bridge plate 13 intermediate its ends is provided with a shoulder 14, the purpose of which will later appear. The forward end of the bridge plate 13 is riveted or otherwise secured to the latch bar 8, as at 15. The rear end of the bridge plate abuts up against the inner face of the latch bar 5 adjacent to the rear end thereof. To temporarily hold the latch bar, the bridge plate and the mounting plate together in an assembled position, the latch bar and the bridge plate can be connected to the U-shaped body portion 9 of the mounting plate by a rivet or pivot pin 16. At this time, it is to be noted (see FIG. 1), that the latch bar is loosely mounted on the pivot or rivet 16 so that there will be lost motion between these parts, for a purpose which will also later appear. The inner end of the latch bar and the bridge plate are provided with square shaped openings 17 which are in horizontal alignment with the round bearing opening 10 in the U-shaped body portion of the mounting plate.

From the description so far, it can be seen that the latch bar and its bridge plate are mounted for loose, swinging movement on the rivet or pivot 16.

In order to hold the latch bar in a normal raised position, I employ a novel spring 18 and this spring forms an important feature of the invention. The spring can be made from resilient steel wire and the same includes an elongated straight portion 19, the forward end of which extends through the bridge plate shoulder 14. The inner end of the wire spring 18 has formed thereon a U- shaped resilient operating portion 20. The spring on each side of the U-shaped portion 20 is mounted for swinging or turning movement in the opposite side walls of the U-shaped body portion 9 of the mounting plate. With the loop or U-shaped portion 20 swung down to its lowered position, as shown in unbroken lines in FIGURE 3, the tension of the spring is such that the same urges and holds the latch bar 8 in a raised, elevated position. By grasping the loop or U-shaped portion 20, the spring can be easily turned to move the loop or U-shaped portion in a raised position, as shown in dotted lines in FIGURES 3, and in this position the spring would function to hold the latch bar in a lowered position. However, it is to be understood that where a door swings to an open position in the opposite direction from that shown in FIGURE 1, then the position of the entire latch is reversed so that the latch bar is urged upward in its reversed position.

As it can be seen, the U-shaped hand grip 12 forms means for operating the latch from the outside of the 'door and in order to permit the operation of the latch from the inside of the door and the firm mounting of the latch bar for rocking movement on the mounting place, I employ an inside operating handle 21, and the inner end of this handle terminates in a shaft 22. The outer end of this shaft 22 is threaded and has its op posite ends flattened for insertion in the polygonal openings formed in the latch bar and its bridge plate, so that upon turning movement of the handle 21 the latch bar will be turned therewith. A nut is threaded on the outer end of the shaft in tight engagement with the latch bar. In

assembling the latch a; hole is bored through the door at the desired position and a bearing sleeve 23 has struck out therefrom lugs 24 which engage the inner. end of the bearing sleeve and these lugs function to limit the insertion of the shaft 22 into the bearing sleeve and form in conjunction with the holding not for the shaft, means for preventing lateral shifting of the shaft.

The door frame F in provided with a latch keeper 25 having an inclined leading nose 26 and this keeper is secured to the frame in proper relation to the bar 8, so than when the door is swung to a closed position, the latch bar will be forced down by the tapered nose 26 to a lowered position until the nose is passed and at which time the latch bar will spring up to its latching engagement with the keeper.

7 In order to hold the door in a fully open position, the wall of the building having the door frame can be provided with another keeper 27, which is a mirror image of the keeper. 25 and the keeper 27 is secured to the wall in proper position so that when the door is swung open the latch bar 8 will engage the keeper to hold the door open.

It is to be noted that the loop or U-shaped portion 20 of the spring is situated within the U-shaped body portion 9 of he mounting plate and hence this portion of the spring is hidden from view, and is protected by the mounting plate, and accidental turning movement thereof is prevented in view of the position of the spring within the U-shaped portion. 7

After the latch has been assembled on the door, the rivet or pivot 16 can be cut ofi should such be desired However, in view of the looseness of play of the latch bar on this rivet, the same need not be removed. However, it is to be further noted that the latch bar is actually carried by and turns with the shaft 22.

From the description, it can be seen that I have provided an exceptionally simple and sturdy door latch in which the position thereof can be reversed for either left or right hand opening doors. 7

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but what 1 claiin as new is:

l. A door latch comprising a mounting plate having formed on the outer end thereof a laterally extending lip provided with a guide slot, the mountihg plate adjacent to its opposite end being provided with a struck-out U- 4 shaped portion, a latch bar having its forward end re ceived in the guide slot for up and down movement, and said latch bar having an outwardly extending U-shaped manipulating handle intermediate its ends, a bridge plate spanning the U-shaped handle and having its forward end rigidly secured to the latch bar, means rockably and loosely mounting the latch bar and bridge plate to the U-shaped portion of the mounting plate, said bridge plate being provided with a shoulder adjacent to its forward end, a reversing spring for normally urging the latch bar to a raised elevated position including a straight arm having its forward end inserted in the shoulder, said rear portion of the spring being provided with a resilient U -shaped loop positioned in the U-shaped body portion of the mounting plate, the spring being rockably carried by he mounting plate on opposite sides of the manipulating loop, said loop forming means for turning the spring to either one of its two positions, an inside handle for manipulating the latch bar mounted for turning movement in the door on which the latch is secured, said inside handle being rotatably mounted in the mounting plate and secured to the latch bar for turning movement therewith, and a keeper for said latch bar.

2. A door latch comprising amounting plate for attachment to a swinging door having on its forward end a laterally extending guide lip provided with a guide slot, said mounting plate having formed therein adjacent to its inner end an out struck U-s'haped body portion, a latch bar rockably mounted on the U-shaped body portion for swinging movement having its forward end extending through the slot in the guide lip, a keeper disposed in the path of the latch bar and for engaging said latch bar, a spring normally urging the latch bar to a raised position in latching engagement with the keeper, and ments for reversing the position of the spring for normally urging the latch bar in an opposite direction whereby the latch can be used on either left or right hand opening doors, said spring including a resilient U-shaped manipulating loop confined in said U-shaped body portion of the mounting plate, the spring being mounted for turning movement in the sides of the U-shaped body portion, the position of the spring being reversed by swinging the loop in the U-shaped body portion from one position to another.

No references cited. 

